How do plastic bags impact our environment?

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Plastic Bags and Its Impact in Our Environment

Plastic bags are one of the most common items we see when we go shopping or buy food at the supermarket. It seems like we almost cannot live without them. They are convenient to use, lightweight and can easily be disposed of or reused. However, we all know that plastic bags have an extremely negative impact on our environment.

When plastic bags end up in landfills, they do not decompose. This means they just float around for hundreds of years in our oceans, rivers and forests and negatively affect the natural ecosystem of the area. The number of plastic bags being manufactured and thrown away daily alarming because only a few of them get recycled.

Environmental Impact When Manufacturing Plastic Bags

There is a huge environmental impact when companies manufacture these plastic bags. Oil and petroleum is a major ingredient in the production of plastics and everyone knows that this is a finite source. We continue to rely on fossil fuels to run our automobiles, our factories and create plastics but someday, our planet will run out of this precious oil and petroleum.

More energy is also consumed by factories when creating these plastics. They consume a staggering amount of fuel and electricity to produce billions of plastics every year. This multimillion dollar industry is not easy to stop, ban or deter but if everyone starts to unite and be responsible for what we use to carry our shopping in, then we can save a lot of energy and conserve fossil fuel for future generations.

What Happens When Plastic is Introduced in Our Environment?

Plastics that have been left floating around for years can release toxins in the soil and water. The littered plastic bags can also disrupt the ecosystem and put animals in danger. They can mistake plastic bags for food, and can choke and die when they try to eat them.

What is the Sad Reality?

We always see environmentalist telling the public to recycle and reuse plastic but in reality, only 1% of the plastic bags produced are actually being recycled. The trillions of plastic bags produced worldwide go straight to our landfills.

What Should We Do?

What we need to do is use reusable bags for our shopping and groceries. ANd what Trolley Bags does, is make reusable more usable.

Remember, we are responsible for the fate of our environment and one small positive change can make a difference if everyone contributes to a common goal.